


Damned Prince of Gotham

by BluBooThalassophile



Series: Hopes for a Bastard [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Humor, Dysfunctional Family, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:36:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22011256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluBooThalassophile/pseuds/BluBooThalassophile
Summary: It's a terrible thing when the skeletons locked in the closet decide to walk out. And much to his horror they're bringing his dirty laundry to air out too.
Relationships: Athanasia al Ghul & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Alina Shelley, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne
Series: Hopes for a Bastard [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/958770
Kudos: 18





	Damned Prince of Gotham

It was just after Thanksgiving, he had managed to survive PT, and no longer needed the fucking cane. Though Alfred had been kind enough to find him a cool cane with a sword in it. And the bigger bonus, he no longer needed his leg brace.

That was what brought him here.

It was the first time since her funeral he had come here. It was nice, quaint, peaceful, everything Gotham couldn’t be. Her grave marker was simple, how she’d have wanted it.

Rachel Roth, Beloved Daughter, Fearless Sister, Loyalist of Friends.

Slowly he crouched down, the flowers in his hand felt heavier. He saw that Ivy had planted a beautiful set of flowers here, something rare, and the gravesite was cared for. His leg was throbbing in protest, but he didn’t care about that, feeling the Pit burn through him in an attempt to heal him.

“Hey, been a while, little bird,” he whispered looking around the graveyard. “I’ll be honest, not really my scene, but you know me, going to go out in a blaze of glory, getting cremated the second time around but maybe they’ll lay those ashes here. You’d like it. It’s still, almost eerie, but in a peaceful sort of way.

“I survived Joker, killed the fucker. B’s pissed about that, but it helps Alina sleep at night. You know, Alina, B’s bastard daughter, she’s a sweetheart, her mom tried to keep her out of the Bat bullshit, which is fair. Her mom’s dead, OD on Joker gas, Cat and B took Alina in.

“Kori was murdered, it’s fucked up Dick. He’s got Jake, but it’s really fucked him up, Rae. He won’t even look at Jake, or Mar'i, and honestly, none of us know what to do. I didn’t think he was a drinker, I never thought that would be his poison, but he is, and god knows what else he’s doing, he’s not good Rae. And if you’re in touch with Kori I ask you to send her his way. I know it’s not fair, you’re at peace and all, but anything helps.

“Other than that, not a whole hell of a lot is happening here with us living folks. I miss you,” he said as he stared around them. “I miss you Rae. It’s nice, Roy, Biz, Kyle and Arty, they try. Never had friends who were so stubborn to cling on, but they just aren’t you. They aren’t you. And it’s not fucking fair you got to die and left me here,” he snapped. “I can’t even be mad at you about that because we were saving Mar'i, but goddamn it, it’s not fucking fair. Damn demon.

“And it’s really not fair I miss you; you were a pain in my ass. Don’t get me wrong, you were the Queen, but life was so much easier before you went about dragging me back to the land of the living. Now I can’t escape my siblings, and I watched the entire series of Game of Thrones. I blame you for that,” he warned her. “It was great, I started the books, but then I saw the last season, and Thank God you’re dead Rae, because it was awful. I don’t even get where the writers took that, it wasn’t good at all, and it… death is a mercy to watching that. And yes, I binged with the Replacement, Steph and Cass; in my defense I was on pain killers and on bed rest.

“I saw an advertisement for a Netflix show, looks very promising and interesting, but after Game of Thrones I hesitate to watch the genre. I think I should just stick to Jack Ryan; I binged that with the kiddies. Violet little blood suckers the lot of them. I mean seriously, Terry and Helena somehow talked me into letting them watch Bosch, Jack Ryan and Law & Order and shit like that with me, and B caught us, suffice to say we were all grounded, but then we did again. Being stuck in a bed sucks Rae.”

There was a snap which had his head snapping up, and he saw her duck behind a headstone.

“And also, little bird, they won’t leave me alone, I feel like a duck with a trail of ducklings. Over here Alina,” he called out. The small girl stepped out; he smiled a bit at her as he rolled to his feet. His leg screamed in protest. “Come meet little bird,” he said.

“I…I don’t want to intrude,” she said.

“You’re already here pipsqueak, might as well say hi to the reason we escaped the Joker,” he said and offered the twelve-year-old his hand. Alina hesitated but she darted up and accept it. “Alina this is Raven. Rae this is my newest of siblings,” he said.

“Hi,” Alina said softly. She was so shy and gentle, he wondered how the hell she could be B’s, but she was a Bat, he remembered that with how she had poisoned Joker. “You talk to her?”

“All the time. It’s a one-sided conversation, isn’t too different from when she was here.” True he and Rae bantered, and could have conversations, but for shit like this, she’d just let him talk. “She’s my best friend, Alina. I’ll always talk to her.”

“I talk to my mom,” Alina admitted. “And Mar'i talks to Kori. Is it normal?”

“Normal?” he snorted. “Is it normal, Rae? No, probably not, not to this degree, but Alina, we’re Bats, normal flew out the window. And you’ll find that as life goes on, there’s people you’ll want in your life and they’re the people you want to talk to. And Raven was my person, I’ll never stop wanting to talk to her.”

“You seem sure about that,” Alina said.

“Yeah, I am sure of it,” he smiled tightly. “I’ll see you around little bird.”

“It was nice to meet you,” Alina said to the grave. Jason offered Alina his hand again and they carefully navigated their way to where he had his car.

“How’d you get here?” he asked.

“Uber.”

* * *

She sat there in her warehouse typing code, as she studied the research of her current contract. It was about an AI program called Brainiac, she was employed with retrieving and destroying. Her cropped hair was ruffled in the slight breeze of her drafty hide out. She had settled in Stockholm off the grid from her grandfather’s grasp since Jason had helped her escape the League. She went by Lisbeth Head, it was a safe alias, one she created because of her favorite books, and because it was safe.

She had gone to Europe rather than America, it would be easier to hide if she was not worried about Bats noticing her. True she kept her identity to herself, and the only two who had met her didn’t know who she truly was.

She had altered her appearance since her escape, true she had drawn inspiration from her favorite books, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but initially it was because she was young and the impression it had hit her with was inescapable. Now it was because this look was the one she found worked for her. She looked intimidating without attracting too much attention and in many places she blended in. Short cropped hair, and piercings did so much to hide her, and the tattoos were a bonus; Ra’s had never come looking for her though.

Still, her vigilance was high.

One of her alarms sounded which had her looking over at her security monitors. Tearing her attention away from her work she studied her empty security monitors for the threat, slowly pulling away from her chess game with c4ff1n4t3dR3 as her hand picked up her glock. Eyes scanning over her monitor she tensed when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up which had her turning around as she turned off the power of her hide out and secured her workstation before exiting the area.

“You got comfortable,” a voice sneered, and she kept closer to the shadows.

“Been a long while Athanasia, or is it Lisbeth now?” he demanded.

She slid low, keeping silent.

“Mmm, still not talkative, thought that’d change,” he grumbled. Her heart was slamming mercilessly in her ribs as she scanned her warehouse for him. “Still doesn’t fucking matter,” he growled, she shot up where his voice had come over her and stood, spinning as she shot at him, moving back, grabbing a knife.

“Still have that hair trigger, babe!” he jeered, she was prepared.

She stood there in the dim light filtering into her apartment.

“Fuck you’re hot, but I’m here on business,” he snarled, she didn’t see him but she felt the hit on the back of her head which had her world disappearing as she crumpled to the ground. “Not fucking pleasure.”

* * *

He walked past his downed slave and straight to her work station. Breaking into it would’ve been tricky but the Light had seen to it he’d have the needed Skeleton Key. He didn’t spare Athanasia a glance, he had always had her as his shadow and companion until she took his eye in her escape from the League of Assassins. That fucking slave had interfered, and Grant remembered seeing red until he was down in the sand and about to be killed by the SOB. Of course no one killed that slave, and no one chased his slave, Athanasia, no one cared about them. They were slaves. Defective to begin with.

Still, he was pissed that she had run and hidden herself from him.

Athanasia had been his favorite pleasure slave, she always was a bitch to put up a fight.

No matter, he walked into her little room and saw her computers, working quickly he went for what he had been ordered to get. The program AI, he was aware he was stealing it from the theif who had stolen it from New Krypton. The Light wanted assassins and to do that his employer had to gain their favor before his rivals’ could make their moves. The League of Assassins wasn’t what it used to be, fracturing drastically with the death of Ra’s al Ghul.

The different fractions followed the different children of Ra’s.

“Is it done yet?” an impatient graveled voice demanded over the intercom.

“Almost,” he said.

“Hurry up.”

“Patience, Demon’s Thumb,” he warned.

“Father has no more patience,” she snapped.

“I got it, and extra information.”

“Destroy everything that remains, and dispose of the Failure.”

* * *

He lay alone in his bed in his warehouse, a huge bed and he couldn’t fucking sleep. He couldn’t even close his eyes.

Jason no longer had nightmares about his coffin or his death, or anything in his past, but he always saw them. He’d see her falling, her golden hair everywhere as the blood splattered from the impacts of the shots while she fell back and he struggled to get to her. Then he’d feel something colliding in him, larger and harder than a bullet, as a force moved him aside and he’d twist around in time to see Raven, her black hair flowing and her four eyes open to focus on saving, her soul was already attacking an armada and he saw the knife hit the side of her ribs, shoving her off her course, knocking her down as her body rolled from the impact, and he’d see Ryand’r there.

He couldn’t sleep.

All that blood, she was so small, she rarely bled, and there was so much blood. He could see them both, as one, Isobel and Raven, laying there, in near identical positions, their hands curled, and their hair fanned around them as they both lay there in a pool of blood, and he couldn’t sense their lives.

In the dreams Raven and Isobel were one in the same, some twisted mix of both them laying there, showing him the price of his failure.

He couldn’t sleep.

_Sleep_, Raven’s voice whispered in his ear, he could swear she was right there as he gave in and closed his eyes.


End file.
